Heat of the Night

In the film, In the Heat of the Night the term "separate but equal" is one of high relevance that is portrayed throughout the film's storyline. This is particularly so for the Black citizens of the film's setting, Sparta, Mississippi. In Sparta, the Black citizens are treated quite unjustly and face racial prejudice daily in nearly everything they do. With segregation at an all-time high, Blacks and Whites were separated to an extreme in the town with Whites being rewarded with much more advantages in societal, personal, and professional lifestyles than the Blacks. Segregation and racial prejudice can be directly highlighted when Virgil Tibbs comes to town from Philadelphia and is arrested, without cause or evidence, and charged with murder. Once Chief of Sparta Police, Bill Gillespie, learns of Tibbs' profession, he releases the detective and uses him to solve the murder he was once charged with. While Tibbs resides temporarily in Sparta, he learns quickly of the racist trends of the townspeople and the segregation of the town itself. 

For Tibbs, to change the ways of Sparta would be an extreme uphill battle and one that he would not fight backed by many. However, to shift Sparta Tibbs takes his only potential action, to prove to the town a Black man is capable of working with the Whites for the common good. By doing so, Tibbs and Gillespie form a relationship built on respect and agreement. Of course, the start of their relationship was one of racism and segregation with Tibbs being arrested but shifts as Gillespie learns how skilled and helpful Tibbs was, he starts to respect him and treat him as an equal. The relationship between Tibbs and Gillespie reflects the shifting outlook of African Americans in America during the mid to late 1960s. While there was still segregation present, the old ways of violence and aggression were not as common with those skilled and knowledgeable African Americans finding a place in society among the Whites. 

After watching the film, I was left with an uplifted and positive feeling after the murder mystery was solved with the help of Tibbs and Gillespie together. The final scene at the train station between the two displayed the respect they had for each other and showed how society could change from the unjust and discriminatory ways of the past. If Tibbs and Gillespie could come to an agreement and pay their respects to one another after how their relationship commenced, any Black and White man could come to respect one another in the least. In essence, the final scene gave me hope for society to change as if I was watching it in the period it was envisioned to be in. 

In the film, women are very compressed in what they are entitled to and to do in society in the period of the film's setting. Women were not seen as equal to men and were deemed to only work in the house while men went out and contributed to the American economy. Women had the duty to provide for their husbands in the home and care for them and to wait on them. Mrs. Colbert, Delores Purdy, and Mamma Caleba, all have their place in society yet they all face similar restrictions of society as they are separate and not equal to the men of society. 

Mr. Endicott was a character that was not looking very favorably on as he struck a sense of fear into those who opposed him. However, he sheds his vulnerability to the Black people which he had discriminated against and with his powerful position in the town of Sparta, had advocated for segregation and prejudice, when he sheds tears for his past actions. Endicott is shown in a nursery crying displaying his pain and regret for supporting the system of discrimination and segregation and the psychological and emotional toll it took on him.

The film was produced years before the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, however, abortion and young pregnancy are displayed in the film. With Delores being forced into an abortion due to her pregnancy at a young age, the decision was never in her hands, which Roe v. Wade rules unlawful. As stated before, women were seen as less than men so the men made the decisions for women such as abortions and many other life choices. In this case, this is not separate but equal as the women are separated from the men in their societal, personal, and professional lifestyle but reap no benefit from that separation, only negatives. 

The characters of Officer Sam Wood, Harvey, and Ralph played parts in which they did not enjoy the privileges of being a white man in Sparta society. Wood and Harvey are both innocently accused of the murder of Colbert with Wood being arrested and nearly charged for the murder. Both men were judged and wronged by the very society in which they were the favorite and were supposed to enjoy advantages over others. As for Ralph, the true murderer, he will of course not enjoy privileges as he is convicted of the murder of Colbert and will rot in jail as a white man. 

In the Heat of the Night features a strong theme of change and a surprising ending brought on by the rare co-existence of Black and White men. This displayed the possibility of a world in which all people of America could live in peace and harmony together with no segregation or racial discrimination. A film unlike many that partook in the setting of the 1960s which instills hope in the future of a together America.